The green dream in Europe turns black as renewable energy fails

For many years, Europe, and especially Germany and Spain, have been world leaders in establishing subsidized wind and solar facilities to generate electricity. But, it turns out they have been burning money and the economic realities have caught up with them. Europe is now moving away from green energy and trying to pick up the pieces from their failed green dream. This should serve as a cautionary tale to Americans and President Obama.

The sad story is told by Benny Peiser of the London-based Global Warming Policy Foundation (article here) and by Australian science writer Jo Nova (article here). Some excerpts (Euros have been translated to American dollars):

Bloomberg New Energy Finance reports that since 2005, European Union (EU) members have spent $800 billion on renewable energy projects. “Germany’s green energy transition alone may cost consumers up to $1.33 trillion by 2030, the German government recently warned.”

German’s electricity bills have doubled since 2000. (Germans pay about 53 cents per KWH. In contrast, my last bill from TEP shows that I pay 9.7 cents per KWH.)

Up to 800,000 Germans have had their power cut off because they couldn’t pay their bills.

Germany’s renewable energy levy rose from $18.6 billion to $26.6 billion in one year as wind and solar expanded.

German households will pay a renewables surcharge of $9.5 billion this year alone.

Germany has more than half the world’s solar panels. They generated 40% of Germany’s peak electricity demand on June 6, but practically 0% during the darkest weeks of winter.

Seimens closed its entire solar division, losing about $1.33 billion. Bosch is getting out too, it has lost about $3 billion.

Solar investors have lost almost $33 billion in the past year. More than 5,000 companies associated with solar have closed since 2010.

Germany has phased out nuclear, but is adding 20 coal fired stations. Gas power can’t compete with cheap coal or subsidized renewables and 20% of gas power plants are facing shutdown.

Despite the river of money paid to renewables, emissions have risen in Germany for the last two years.

It’s a case of lose-lose all around, everyone, taxpayers, investors, renewables companies, gas companies, all lost. Waste and stupidity on a colossal scale.

President Obama is still enthralled with the green energy fantasy and his war on coal and other fossil fuels will wreak havoc. And he is doing it on purpose. Back in 2009 he said that under his plan electricity prices would “necessarily skyrocket.”

The inevitable blackouts that will occur when there simply is not enough “green” energy to feed the grid will throw us back to “developing nation” status. We have the highest standard of living on the earth in large part owing to continuous access to abundant, relatively inexpensive energy.

well this is a rrrooollllll of events isn’t it – with 800,000 unable to pay! so the others now must pick up their load as well, the more that fall off the wagon, the more “they” want! Spending their way to prosperity!

The American ‘green effort’ as well healthcare is not about ‘power’ that comes through the electric outlet – or medicine as it pertains to us – its about POWER – GLOBAL POWER – nothing less, nothing more. Does anyone really expect this to change anything? Failure is simply another word for nothing left to loose…

Hail, Hail, the Knuckle Draggers and Deniers all line up behind the money changers as TEP admits openly of the dangers of burning coal in heavily populated areas and Tucsonan’s continue to suffer from the health dangers of Carbon and Heavy Particulates, resistant to leave the city in a natural bowl surrounded by mountains. It’s all about Profits and Payoffs as even their engineers and salesmen lie and downplay the dangers of Coal and the Benfits of Sustainability. Jonathan rails on about Germany spending $Billion on Sustainable or how they don’t generate power from Solar when the sun don’t shine? Woah! Have you ever heard of Investments Johnny? Do you realize there are many reasons for Solar Producers to pull out of geographical areas beyond loosing a few $Billion short term, if it was a real Loss vs. a Write Off or Write Down? Why not talk about the Multi $ Billions of Profits above creating the Greenest and Cleanest Country in WORLD. Meanwhile Tucsonans Work and Live in some of the Dirtiest Toxic Air of the Nation as the aforementioned Bowl Effect of the mountains prevented Heavy Particulates from escaping. Until 1990’s and Bill Clinton I hated coming to Tucson because of the Constant Haze of Smog as I entered from the east on my daily commute into a bowl of Toxic Death. Now much of that has changed thanks to efforts during the Clinton Admin of reducing Carbon by power plants as TEP who now employ 3 of their 4 Coal Burners w Nat Gas and the 4th stated to convert before 2017. Of course the bigger picture is why would you deceive Americans and Tucsonan’s into believing the benefits of investing into Renewables and Sustainability, now PROVEN as Cost Partitive to Coal even in the short term, not to mention the total costs of continued labor and pollution intensive production of mining and transporting in addition to Proven Health risks to all of Tucson and surrounding areas from mountain range to mountain range as TEP admittedly reports the dangers to the Catalina ft hills. Im guessing few of these Knuckle Draggers here live inside these parameters, as they add their two cents and blame the President for restoring our country to vibrant economy it once was before two unfunded credit card wars for Oil and Exploiting the Nation during Subprime of Millions from their homes and collapsing our financial system worldwide. Solar Panels have come down 500% to 75 cents a watt during this administration. We are finally realizing Supply Siders Lie and Deceive about many things for Selfish Greed and Personal Gain against the Whole. Sustainable Jobs have been the Savior of America even in places as Iowa let alone the Massive Growth in the South West. Jonathan may be a credit to his party and gain an attaboy from his right wing fans, but he’s reluctant to mention the Thousands of our best and brightest who gave all defending our oil interests in the middle east or how much worse it would be now for us all if the President hadn’t invested into sustainability in creating millions of sustainable jobs and energy dependence w in our shores. If you want to talk about wasted $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Johnny why not write about the “$600 +++Billion the US spends annually”during Peace Time on our War Machine defending our Oil Interests in the middle East, far more than all Entitlements Conservatives love to hate as they Blame the poor? Why not talk about the $Trillions Missing from the Pentagon no one is talking about Credit GWBush and Dick Cheny when you mention “waste and stupidity”? Why not talk about how prices Have Not Skyrocketed when you attempt as TEP to bring Fear onto consumers concerning our Energy Bills while TEPs sales leader rakes in $750, 000 annually and his team does pretty well selling power to the southwest as Arizonans and Tucsonans suffer w health issues as the plant for Decades Pours out Carbon and Emissions far above the well know safe levels for “Heavily Populated areas in the Bowl of Smog? Your work is well appreciated by those outside the city of smog and Investors profiting off the death and misery of others as the Chinese.